Project Management – The Change Problem / When it comes to the English language “change” is a neutral term and as a result can either be good or bad depending on the circumstance. On the good side an IT manager just reminded me that changing my password is a good thing. Especially true if your current password is “password” or “123456”. My very wise mother once told me to change my underwear routinely (just in case I get hit by a car). Every time daylight savings rolls around we change batteries in our smoke detectors. Good plan. And finally, change is a no brainer if a better idea comes along…like modular elevators instead of conventional. But that’s a blog post for another day.
On the other hand change can be not only bad, but very bad. New Coke was a bad change, at least to the devoted fans of the original. They were vindicated when New Coke was pulled from shelves. Remember when we had to start using Windows ME? And then Vista? Both spawned wild conspiracy theories of why they were a forced change. And I’m an old-timer so don’t even get me started on the designated hitter in baseball. Yuck!
Closer to home one of the changes that falls into the “bad” category is changing the project manger regarding an elevator project. It is a real bad idea to rotate through project leadership for a myriad of reasons. Like the old saying, “don’t changes horses in mid-stream” a project manager should be assigned and then remain on your team through out the project. They should start with the sale and progress through the installation process.
That means a consistent long-term commitment from the company as well as the individuals associated with the project. And when it comes to elevators that could be a long time. I don’t need to tell you that it is not unusual for an elevator to be ordered and it not be up and running for two years or more. Construction projects are not overnight endeavors so consistency is needed to make the elevator portion of the project go as smooth as possible.
Equally as important is that your assigned project manager is not a neophyte in the elevator business. You deal with enough bumbling fools everyday, why add another? With Modular Elevator Manufacturing we have team of highly qualified employees that know the elevator and construction industries inside and out unlike other companies. Longevity plus experience means you can trust our team over anyone else.
At MEM our process starts with a simple Fast Track quote. Next are formal quotes, drawings and engineering starting things off. The delivery date and production schedule are determined and come next. Verifying the site and pit dimensions (often skipped by others) followed by set, start up and final inspection. With MEM only one person is solely responsible for each of the steps of your project. So, for every step of that process you will have the same project manager. They will troubleshoot, give you updates you can trust and be there to hand the unit off to you when it is finished.
Many will downplay the crucial role of the project manager. They rotate through any number of them in the time between the sale and the final inspection. That means you as a customer you will be playing a guessing game. Who do I call when a challenges arise? How will I get the answers to my questions? Who will partner with me to keep my project on track?
If you are tired of the project manager merry-go-round, make one more change for better. Use MEM for your next project and see what a difference there is in the process and people at MEM. We are ready for any low or mid-rise building, from affordable housing to hospitals, parking garages to stadiums, schools to commercial structures. Quality elevators taking you higher.
